Regarding the IMO theory that FD walked down the powerline from behind his house to the Red Trail at West Hartford Resevoir, I can’t account for the section closest to his house but the lower part is very clear, graveled, and downhill (pic 1)
View attachment 192160 Pic 1
This powerline connects to the top left corner of there Red Trail and goes to the right to the far left corner of Reservoir 3, (pic 2), which LE reported putting a dive team in 7/3.
View attachment 192172 Pic 2
Here is the pic of the WHR trail map. I have marked in Red the Jeff Xing house (pic 3)
View attachment 192173
With my 30lb child in a child-carrier backpack I walked a section of the red trail from the parking lot to the intersection with the powerline and then to the left corner of Res 3. Also up over a grassy hill that holds several utilities.
A couple things I learned: you would have to dig off past the edge of the woods, off somewhere your digging won’t be heard or overseen and still be able to find your way back to it, and good luck with that poison ivy. There are paths that branch off from both sides of that section. Also walking that section is completely uphill. Which was very grueling with a 30lb backpack, seeing as I am not in shape. If I didn’t have a heart attack from learning our Farmington car tax bills were over due I am certainly having one now lol.